Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Please welcome poet Cendrine Marrouat back to Reviews and Interviews. Five Years and Counting: A Journey into the Mind of Soul Poetry is now released, so I thought it would be fun to check in with Cendrine again.

Summary:Poetry is an evolutional process, a reflection of the human mind. Every person goes through life and changes on a regular basis. That is exactly what Five Years and Counting is about. Cendrine has regrouped five years of poetry and arranged her pieces according to life’s most important stages: birth, teenage years, adulthood, and elevation. This last stage represents man’s understanding and realization of the ultimate fulfillment in life.

Five Years and Counting is the testimony of a soul that has endured and embraced challenges to enjoy life to its fullest. No matter what your beliefs are, the words of this unique poetic voice will touch your heart and bring you comfort and inspiration...

Welcome back, Cendrine.

Please tell us about your writing processDuring the day, I do research, contact artists for interviews on my Examiner.com pages (I am a freelance journalist and hold five titles) and answer e-mails. Night-time is usually dedicated to anything creative: writing and finding new ideas for potential projects.

My writing process always follows the same pattern. After I have found a title, I usually go with the flow, knowing that things rarely take the turn I initially intended. However, as a professional translator/proofreader and perfectionist, I find myself editing my writing a lot. So, computers definitely make my work easier (and cleaner).

What was your goal for writing this book?Five Years and Counting: A Journey into the Mind of Soul Poetry is very unique. While my other collections focused on a part of Man’s spiritual journey, my new book brought all the stages together under the same idea: growth and change. I wanted to help people enjoy life to the fullest. I believe that poetry has the power to uplift the mind in incredible ways.

Were any subjects harder to write about than others?Whenever I decide to sit down to write about a specific issue/topic, I have already started the mental process of coming to terms with it. As a result, putting my feelings on the white page helps strengthen my beliefs. So, in the case of Five Years and Counting, I have not really found any subject more difficult to write about than others.

How are you promoting Five Years and Counting?I set a few hours aside daily to promote the book (and my other products). I love social networking sites. I have two Facebook Fan Pages and Twitter accounts. Each one of them is used for a specific purpose, even though I like cross-promoting once in a while. The link to the book is also included in my e-mail signature. And I have created a few trailers that are available on my YouTube page.

I like interviews on blogs (like yours) and Internet radio stations (Blog Talk Radio, for example) and I issue press releases once in a while to improve my chances of being picked up by online news channels.

Online promotion could not be complete without a website, a newsletter, and a blog. These three tools are absolutely essential for any author. I send my newsletter once or twice a month and update my news blog almost daily.

I also use Hootsuite (very similar to TweetDeck) to send blasts to all the networks where I have an account. These networks include Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Multiply, Friend Feed, etc.

I also find that sharing/writing educational blog posts on marketing and branding in my Creative Ramblings blog, contributing to several other sites -- such as WAGTi Radio and WAGTi Media Group -- and working as a freelance journalist for Examiner.com are very helpful.

As far as offline promotion is concerned, I always have business cards and a copy of Five Years and Counting with me. I hand out the cards and let people look at the book. However, I am not pushy. I learnt one very important thing when I was a teacher: An author must always approach people in a respectful way and with something that will grab their interest. For example, I usually mention that I am a freelance journalist. When I feel that people are interested in knowing more, I introduce the new book.

To me, authors are entrepreneurs before anything else. So, they must bring something unique to the table. With good branding and long-term goals, success is inescapable...

What do you enjoy most about being a published writer?After five self-published books, I know what to expect, the kind of pitfalls to avoid, and also that hard work and many hours of research are involved. Doors do not open easily for self-published authors; most print newspapers and magazines will not review self-published books. And, a major hurdle is that winning the hearts of potential readers can take months and sometimes years. Despite those challenges, I love the freedom and the fact that I have total control over my products.

What has most surprised you about your publishing experience?My publishing experience has been more humbling than surprising. It has taught me that every reader is different. Basically, it takes much more than just dropping a link on someone's page and then waiting until they purchase your book. You have to build relationships, first. In a way, it is like top-notch customer service...

What do we have to look forward to from you?I am really excited about the release of the new version of my debut CD, "Rizen" (November 29, 2010). I added two tracks featuring the voices of April Sims and Tantra-zawadi. Their renditions of my poems is amazing! People can listen to extracts from the album and pre-order their autographed copy at http://www.cendrinemarrouat.com/?page_id=169.

My latest poem, "Grains of Sand" is part of the Into the Desert exhibition, an online event organized by Eight Cuts. People can read my contribution in the "embrace" section at http://eightcuts.wordpress.com/. On November 18, 2010, the exhibition will be featured at the O3 Gallery in Oxford, England. More dates are planned...

A dream of mine would be to direct the two plays that I wrote in 2007. I have started looking for theatre troupes in my area. However, before that, I want to tour some Canadian cities to introduce my new book and CD to more people. Yet, as any other independent artist, I do not receive any financial help. So, I have to plan things according to my own limited budget. Come what may, as they say! ;-)

How can people get in touch with you?I invite people to take the time to look around my Website and subscribe to the newsletter and/or the blog.

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About Me

I'm a NH native and love New England. I love writing about the region, exploring it on foot, on my bicycle, and in my car. There are so many small communities and fun and interesting people in this area, that I could be here a lifetime and not do all it is I want to do. :)

I'm a moderator at The Writer's Chatroom that hosts live chats with guest authors on Sunday nights 7-9PM EST. Join the e-mail list to get notifications of upcoming guests, then stop in and join the conversation!